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High school seniors have a chance to apply for a scholarship worth more than $85,000 to attend the University of North Georgia (¹û¶³´«Ã½) as a member of the Corps of Cadets.

Each year, the state offers the University of North Georgia Military Scholarship (¹û¶³´«Ã½MS) to 42 Georgia high school seniors who attend ¹û¶³´«Ã½, serve in the Georgia Army National Guard while in the Corps, and commission as second lieutenants in the Georgia Army National Guard after graduating with bachelor's degrees.

The scholarship pays for room, meals, tuition, books, uniforms and fees. In addition, awardees receive National Guard weekend drill pay, GI Bill, pay for attending Army basic and advanced training, and Army ROTC contract pay (beginning of sophomore or junior year, if offered a contract to commission as a lieutenant). Recipients may also be eligible for an enlistment bonus or extra GI Bill money for enlisting into critical military jobs and units.

"You are essentially getting paid to go to college," said Mike Ivy, '95, director of Cadet Admissions. "This is a great opportunity to serve your local community, the state of Georgia and our country. Being a National Guard officer also allows you to pursue other goals such as graduate work or a civilian career."

Applications for the ¹û¶³´«Ã½MS are due by Feb. 1.

Upon graduation from ¹û¶³´«Ã½, recipients commission as second lieutenants in the Georgia Army National Guard, where they earn about $8,000 per year for two weeks of annual training and one weekend of training per month.

Cadet Lt. Col. Jared Pate, a senior pursuing a degree in strategic and security studies, is a ¹û¶³´«Ã½MS recipient who serves as Leadership Development Program commander in the Corps.

For Pate, who had dreamed of being in the Army since he was a child, the Guard and the scholarship have opened up numerous doors.

"One of the best decisions I've ever made is to enlist in the National Guard. It's provided me so much, and not only financially," Pate said. "I've learned a lot about myself. It's taught me a lot about the military, and I feel like it's given me a jump above other people in my graduating class."

For more information, contact Cadet Admissions on ¹û¶³´«Ã½'s Dahlonega Campus at cadetrecruiting@ung.edu or go to the Cadet Admissions website.